


House Arrest

by Missa_Sissa



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23568724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missa_Sissa/pseuds/Missa_Sissa
Summary: Tired of his mothers fighting, Henry Mills comes up with a plan to make them get along. That may or may not involve him locking them inside a house together for an entire weekend...
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 153





	House Arrest

**Author's Note:**

> My writing muse must be bored, because I have the urge to write all these new ideas! I hope you like this one shot that I thought would be a fun little side project (and a fun read for you)! Hope you enjoy!

Granny’s diner was rather full for a Monday morning. Waitresses rushed to and fro from full tables to put in orders, the kitchen wafted smoke and the smell of fresh breakfast, Granny barked orders behind the counter like an army general, and diners had to talk over the noise to be heard.

Meanwhile at the Swan-Mills table, the only sounds heard were the scraping of silverware on plates. Henry sat next to his adopted mother Regina, his biological mother Emma across the table in her own booth. He glanced between the two women as he sipped on his apple juice and tried to concentrate on the latest issue of the _Wolverine_ comic he had picked up from the library.

Emma was pretending to read the paper; it was obvious she wasn’t reading it at all, judging from the not so sneaky looks across the table. Regina was staring out the window in disinterest, sipping her cup of tea—one of many she would drink that day. The silence was deafening to the young teen sitting between them, despite the fact that he should be used to it by now.

After all, it had been this way since Emma arrived in their sleepy town of Storybrooke nearly 5 years ago. His two mothers had been at each other’s throats for the first good while, but ultimately had decided to tolerate each other for their son. It was an appreciated gesture, but it didn’t make it any less awkward for him. He wanted a normal family breakfast for once in his life. 

“So Henry,” Emma broke the silence first over a bite of French toast. “Got anything interesting going on at school today?”

Henry shrugged and reluctantly set his comic down. At least she was attempting to start a conversation. “Other than a math test it’s gonna be a normal day. Band will be fun I guess—Nic and I have a surprise waiting for Mrs. McNulty which should make that period fun at least.” He smiled mischievously as Emma gave him a knowing smile.

His other mother didn’t think it was so funny. “Have I not taught you to respect your elders, young man? That nice teacher is sharing her passion with you while also teaching you a skill you’ll be able to use later in life. I’m appalled that you would think to pull a nasty prank on someone innocent.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “God Mom, it’s _fine._ I don’t think I’ll ever play the trumpet again in my life after I graduate. She deserves it after making us stay five minutes after the bell and making me late for sixth period anyway. And for what? Being flat on a couple notes.”

Regina looked as though she wanted to smack him. He shifted away from her and shoved a mouthful of eggs in his mouth to distract himself. Emma chuckled with the shake of her head. “Sometimes I miss high school. Pranks were fun back then, even if all the teachers hated me because of it.”

Regina’s head snapped up; her brown eyes narrowed into slits. Henry nearly choked on his mouthful of food. Emma was gonna be in for it now. “You condone this behavior? Of course—I should have known. I suppose you’re the one giving him ideas too?”

“No!” Emma defended herself, her voice rising in anger. “Look, it’s just a harmless prank. Generationally speaking, it’s how the world is now.” She gestured to Henry who quickly opened up his comic book again. “Henry maintains good grades and he gets along well with his classmates. With everything he has been through these past five years, he deserves to have a little fun.”

“Your idea of _fun_ , Miss Swan, is vastly inappropriate!”

“It’s not my idea!”

Henry rolled his eyes and glanced at the clock. Just a few more minutes and he would be free of his mothers’ bickering. If it wasn’t one thing, it was always another. Arguing over the food he ate, clothes he wore, what college he would be attending when the time came. And if they weren’t fighting over him, they always found an excuse to fight over something else. Every single morning.

The phone in his pocket suddenly chimed with a text message alert. Making sure the two women were still occupied—Regina hated phones at the table—he snuck it out and checked it. There was one new message from Nic.

_Hey dude, got any plans tonight? The guys wanna know if we’re still on for our WOW session._

An idea began forming in Henry’s mind. There was no way Regina was going to let him stay up all night playing World of Warcraft with his friends, especially now that she was upset about the news of his pranking the band teacher. Emma would of course, but she would be more of a distraction. One that he didn’t need, as this would be the most important mission they played yet.

But there was another way. One that could allow him to play WOW all night _and_ make week day breakfasts more tolerable. He quickly sent back a message.

_We’re still on for tonight, but I’ll need your guys’ help with something._

The school bus showed up a minute later and Henry gathered his things, leaving his mothers alone to fight things out. They barely even noticed him leave they were so invested in tearing each other apart. And hopefully after this weekend that would change. He was confident it would—none of his plans had failed him yet.

XXXX

“You _what_?!” Regina yelled into the phone. “This better be a sick joke. Please tell me this isn’t true!”

Henry grinned and quickly put the phone on speaker so his friends could hear. “Expelled, Mom. Two whole days. Luckily, Grandma pulled some strings and she said I will be serving my time at the loft. She’s got worksheets and lesson plans all ready for me.” He cleared his throat, attempting to sound apologetic. “I’m really sorry, Mom. I didn’t know Mrs. McNulty would get so mad.”

“Do you realize how this reflects on me? The residents of this town are going to think I’m raising some hooligan!” Regina stewed. “Miss Swan is going to hear a word or two! And you, Henry, you are grounded for a _month._ Do you understand? No gaming, no comics, no friends!”

Henry handed the phone over to Snow, who was gesturing for it. He headed across the room where David was setting up a brand-new desktop for his gaming needs. The whole spiel about getting expelled was a lie of course—this was all a part of his plan. And lucky for him, his grandparents were more than willing to help him out.

“Yes Regina, I promise the weekend Henry will spend here will not be fun for him. He has makeup assignments and projects and lots of work to catch up on. I am more than happy to do it over here to give you the opportunity to relax. I understand. Okay. Bye.” Snow hung up the phone with a rueful grin and shook her head. “Poor Emma. She’s not going to know what hit her.”

“It’s okay, Grandma,” Henry reassured her. “This will all work out in the end, trust me.”

XXXX

An early day off work was in the works for Emma. Her father had come into the station and announced that he was taking over, no questions. He’d even brought her a fresh bear claw drizzled in chocolate sauce—just the way she liked it. It was mildly suspicious, but not unlike him. She had thought the rest of her day was going to be great and relaxing, until her phone began to blow up.

The tip off was the five missed calls and ten text messages from the Evil Queen herself. Emma groaned inwardly and delayed starting her car as Regina’s name flashed across her screen again. She couldn’t ignore it if it had something to do with Henry.

“Yes?” Emma answered.

“This is _your_ fault, Miss Swan! Come over to the house now before I decide to curse your ass. Again!” Regina barked.

“Is Henry okay?” Emma asked.

The other end was silent for a moment. “Why don’t you ask him yourself.” Then the line went dead.

Emma sighed and sent Henry a text. _Assuming you’re not dead or dying, you wanna tell me why your mom is pissed at me?_

Henry responded instantly. _Alive and well thank you. As for the reason she’s pissed… you’re gonna have to ask her._

Little shit. Emma reluctantly headed over to Regina’s. She cursed her father for coming in to cover for her, Henry for not telling her what was up, and Regina herself for being such an insufferable human. There was not one person she hated more than her. Especially since the woman had vowed to make her life miserable from the moment she stepped into town.

Even so, she forced herself to make the walk up to the front door. Before she could knock, the front door swung open and a well-manicured hand of death reached out to drag her in. It was like a horror movie where the victim didn’t even have time to scream before meeting their end.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Emma shook the hand off, glaring into the face of a very pissed off Regina.

“Shut. Up,” Regina hissed through clenched teeth. “You’ve done enough.”

Emma threw her hands up in the air. “And what did I do now, Your Majesty?”

“What _haven’t_ you done?! Ever since you came to Storybrooke all you’ve done is ruin things!” Regina stalked closer to her, the vein in her forehead looking as though it would burst at any moment. Emma hadn’t seen her this angry since they had fought over Henry. Which was exactly what they were doing now, she assumed.

“What have I ruined? Your petty little revenge curse? Making sure Henry was safe and taken care of after he came to me begging for help?” Emma got in the woman’s face, feeling her own becoming heated. “I fixed things by coming here. You are the one with the insane inferiority complex!” She yelled.

Regina mouth dropped open and she took a step back. She nervously straightened her shirt, refusing to meet her gaze. Emma considered this a victory. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath.

“Now will you tell me what’s going on?”

Regina sighed. “Henry got expelled for two days because of that stupid prank.”

“That’s not my fault, Regina. Look, I didn’t encourage him. Of course I pulled pranks when I was his age; but I never once told him that it was okay. The fact that you automatically assume I did shows that whatever is between us hasn’t changed at all these past five years.”

Then, Regina said something that surprised them both. “You’re right—I’m sorry.”

Emma frowned. “What the hell?”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to repeat myself.”

“No. I don’t mean that. Look.” Emma pointed to the window just in time to see the figure standing near it disappear. “Some little creep is looking in your window!” She stomped over to the window and pounded on the glass. “Get out of here you little pervert!”

“I’d appreciate you not breaking my French glass windows. One of those cost more than your deathtrap of a car!” Regina snapped.

 _Yeah, because it was stolen,_ Emma thought. She turned to Regina as she roughly pulled the curtain shut. “You really should keep your windows covered. That little asshole probably takes pictures of you and whatever else.”

At the sound of adolescent giggling nearby, Emma attempted to open the front door. The knob turned in her hand, but otherwise, the door wouldn’t budge. She flipped the lock on the deadbolt, finding it still wouldn’t budge. It was like some creepy movie scene from _Children of the Corn._

“You don’t use your curtains, yet you lock your door from the inside out? You’re a special kind of psychotic,” Emma said.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Regina shoved her aside and tugged on the door handle and turned to Emma when it stayed firmly shut. “Did you break my door with your man hands?”

“No!” Emma protested. “Those little assholes outside must have jammed it shut somehow.” She glanced down at her reddened palms. Were her hands really that big?

Regina headed further into the house, leaving Emma to follow. “Lucky for us, I have a back door.” She smiled victoriously and tugged on the handle. Again, it wouldn’t open.

Regina attempted to conjure a fireball and looked at Emma with a panicked expression when that failed. “I can’t use magic.”

“Try to poof somewhere,” Emma suggested.

Regina spread out her arms and closed her eyes. After a minute, she opened them. Emma looked at her expectantly. “Well?”

“If it would have worked, I wouldn’t be standing in the same spot as before. Would I?” Regina snapped.

Emma held out her hands in an attempt to calm her down. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for this.”

“There better be. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be stuck here with you for the indefinite future!”

“Moms?” Henry’s voice called from across the house.

Regina rushed toward it with Emma quick on her heels. She turned the corner into her study, staring in confusion at the walkie talkie sitting on the desk. Henry’s static-filled voice crackled from the device again. “Moms?”

Emma moved past her and grabbed the walkie talkie. She pushed the button to respond. “Kid, it’s me. What’s going on? Do you know anything about the fact that the doors in this house are stuck shut? We can’t use magic either.”

“I did it,” Henry answered.

“ _You_ did this?!” Regina shrieked. She ripped the walkie talkie from Emma’s hands. “This is no time for you to be pulling pranks, young man. _Especially_ since you just got expelled for your last stunt!”

There was a moment of silence. Then, “I didn’t get expelled. That was a part of my plan to get you both in the house without me there.”

Regina glared at Emma, as if she knew what was going on the entire time. Emma was angry herself however, far from her normal sarcastic disposition.

Henry continued talking into the radio. “We locked the doors from the inside out. As for the no magic policy, that was a little trickier. I had to go into your vault to find something to block it. At each window and entry point you’ll see amulets. That’s the reason you can’t use magic.”

“Why on earth did you decide to do this?” Regina demanded.

Henry ignored her question. “You’ll be stuck in your house for the entirety of the weekend. If you try to get out, there are people watching who will prevent that. This is for your own good.”

Emma shook her head. She couldn’t believe it—their own son had managed to ground them. She was stuck here for two whole days with the person she disliked most in town. How the hell was she expected to survive?

“Henry? Henry Daniel Mills, you answer me right now!” Regina yelled into the radio.

Emma walked away, going upstairs to the first bedroom she came upon. She entered and stopped in her tracks. This was Regina’s room.

The walls and carpet were matching with a beige theme. The curtains—which were open of course—were black, which Emma thought fit her perfectly. The bed in the corner of the room was draped with a grey and white comforter and stacked with matching pillows. There was a dresser in the corner covered with an assortment of expensive perfumes and makeup. On the wall across from the bed hung a TV. Interesting that someone as prestigious as Regina Mills would relax in bed and watch TV late at night. It proved she was human, deep down.

Emma noticed a picture on the nightstand and made her way over to it. It was a framed photo of Regina and Henry on an Autumn day. Regina was standing with both arms wrapped around Henry, resting her chin on the top of his head. Henry held her equally as tight. This must have been taken before Emma had come to Storybrooke, as Henry was much younger. They were both smiling widely, the setting sun casting a warm glow of sunlight on them as red and orange leaves on the tree behind them swayed in the wind.

Emma gingerly touched the glass and smiled. Regina truly was a great mother to Henry, despite her past. He had been happy with her once. That was all she ever wanted for him.

“Just because you’re stuck in the house with me does not give you free reign of my house,” Regina said from the doorway.

Emma stiffened, the happiness inside her fading fast. “I was going to try to climb out through the window. Don’t worry—I wasn’t going to raid your panty drawer.”

She went over to the window and unlocked it, sliding it open. She was about to climb out when she noticed a familiar face looking up at her from the ground. Standing like a bodyguard of the president or something.

“Dad?”

David looked up at her and smiled, his eyes squinting from the sun. “Hey Emma.”

“What are you _doing_ here? Are you part of this?!”

The man smiled and shrugged. “I was told to stand guard here to make sure you didn’t escape. I’m being a supportive grandfather.”

Emma lifted herself over the sill, sitting on the side with her legs dangling. The jump was about 20 feet. She could make it; she used to do this for a living, after all. “Yeah well, your duties as a father come first. Which means you’re going to help me out here.”

David shook his head. “No can do, Em. Why don’t you climb back inside before you get hurt.”

Emma huffed and climbed back inside. Regina was waiting for her, arms crossed across her chest. “Did our son enlist people to babysit us?”

“Unfortunately. But they can’t guard every exit of this house.” She headed out of the room to the opposite end of the house and began shoving open a window in the hallway.

She heard a familiar-tuned whistle from outside the window and looked up to see two teen boys—Henry’s friends, she assumed. They grinned and waved from their perch outside, handheld video game consoles in their hands.

“Show us your boobs!” One of them yelled.

“Disgusting little creeps!” Emma muttered as she finally got the window open.

“Mom, you can stop trying to escape. I have guys at every exit, like I said before,” Henry said through the radio in Regina’s hands. “Can’t you just stick it out? Two days, that’s all I ask. For me.”

Emma met Regina’s eyes and reluctantly slumped her shoulders. If it meant that much to the kid, she could handle two days with Regina. And that didn’t mean they had to be around each other; she was sure Regina was going to hide away in her office. Which was fine with her—it meant she had two days of an uninterrupted Netflix binge.

“Alright,” Emma sighed and held out her hand for Regina to shake. The woman stared at her hand skeptically for a moment before reluctantly shaking it. Unexpected, but welcome.

“Well, follow me.” Regina lead her down the hallway to the room across from her own.

Emma entered in behind her, glancing around the spare room. It was nice and simple, definitely not too shabby for a weekend stay. No TV though, but Emma could always use her phone. Regina pointed to the wardrobe. “There’s extra clothes of mine that I store in here that you’re welcome to use. The bathroom is two doors down and there’s everything in there you’ll need to shower and change. Extra pillows and blankets are in the closet.”

Emma kicked off her boots and neatly hung her jacket on the bedpost. “Thank you, Regina. I thought I would be banished to the couch.”

Regina sniffed. “Yes, well, I don’t have much choice in the matter seeing as how we were both forced into this. If it were up to me you wouldn’t be here at all.”

Emma bit the inside of her cheek at the harsh remark. This wasn’t some adolescent teen sleepover. Regina still disliked—maybe even hated—her, and vise-versa. She nodded awkwardly. “Well, I guess I’ll get changed.”

Regina turned to go, stopping in the doorway. “When you’re finished settling in, meet me in the den.” At Emma’s shocked silence, she turned to look at her. “Just because we’re locked in here doesn’t mean we have to spend the weekend sober.” A smile tugged at the woman’s lips for a mere second before she left Emma alone.

Emma awkwardly pawed through the wardrobe of Regina’s clothes, finding most of it something she wouldn’t be caught dead in. In the drawers below she found some comfier clothing and settled on a ridiculously soft cashmere sweater and yoga pants.

She headed down to the den where Regina was sitting on the couch, looking through a manilla envelope. Two glasses of liquor sat on coasters. Emma awkwardly cleared her throat, startling the woman. The action made her smile inwardly, that the Evil Queen could be startled so easily. It was rather… innocent.

“Mind if I grab one?” Emma asked, motioning to the glasses.

“I wouldn’t have poured two glasses otherwise,” Regina commented without looking up.

Emma grabbed a glass and sat down on the opposite couch, taking a lengthy drink. The liquor was strong—she packed down the urge to cough with another long sip. A rush hit her moments later and she relaxed back into the cushions and looked around. She hadn’t been in here since her first night in Storybrooke.

Back then, she’d been too nervous in the presence of her son’s adopted mother to notice the rather comfy atmosphere the room provided. The fireplace currently wasn’t lit, but along its mantle sat little antique trinkets that looked as though they belonged in the old ages. Perhaps they were something Regina kept in her castle long ago. A 65-inch TV hung above the fireplace, making Emma envious of her own 30-inch in her bedroom.

The shelves lining the walls were full of books. Organized by color and author, there were mostly classics, but surprisingly there were some modern ones as well. Who knew Regina Mills was a Richelle Mead fan?

Emma finished her drink and poured another glass, ignoring the judgmental look Regina shot her. It was her fault for leaving the alcohol out in the first place. She grabbed the remote off the coffee table and motioned to the TV. “Mind if I watch something?”

“As long as you keep the volume down. I’m reviewing taxes that my assistant handled, and because of that I’m sure they were filed incorrectly and I will need to fix them,” Regina answered.

Emma turned on an episode of _Adventure Time_ and curled her feet underneath her, sipping on her drink and enjoying the wondrous world of Jake and Finn. In this episode, the Ice King had a bunch of princesses trapped in his castle to become his bride, of which Jake and Finn had to rescue, of course. It was silly fun, and Emma found herself smiling at it.

“You are such a child, Miss Swan.”

Emma turned her attention from the show onto Regina. “This is quality TV, thank you.”

Regina snorted. “There is nothing that proves that. What are you learning from this? That moronic writers have nothing better to do with their time than to create a so-called children’s TV show filled with adult themes and sexual innuendos?”

Emma paused the show, her mouth dropping open in horrified shock. “This is a great show! The early seasons don’t have much rhythm, but later on there’s a meaningful and deep plot that makes this worth watching. Besides, do you have to learn something with everything you watch? Some things are just meant to be mindless fun.”

“No wonder you have the attention span of a squirrel.”

Emma ignored the barb thrown her way. “Alright, Your Majesty. What’s your show of choice?”

“I don’t have time to watch TV,” Regina quickly responded. After a moment’s hesitation, she continued. “Although if I’m relaxing after work, I tend to watch an episode or two of _Game of Thrones_.”

Emma laughed and took another sip of her drink. “I’m sure that show is very educational.”

“It is!” Regina protested and threw down the envelope she was holding. “The monarchies are highly accurate of how it was back in the Enchanted Forest. The sex scenes I could do without—though that Khal character is extremely desirable—but otherwise, it’s interesting. Particularly the executions. I quite enjoy those.” She took a long sip of her drink. “I wish they would execute that little brat Joffrey,” she muttered.

Emma smiled as she listened to Regina completely geek out. It was nice, seeing this side of her. She was so used to fighting that she didn’t realize that there was more to the woman deep down. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. Introduce me to the dark side.”

Regina motioned to the bottle of liquor. “Pour yourself another glass, Miss Swan. You’ll need it.”

XXXX

Emma didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke up curled into herself on the couch, she noticed the blanket that had been draped over the couch Regina had been on last night was now covering her. She blinked blearily, yawning into the soft fabric. They had stayed up late watching _Game of Thrones_. It was safe to say she was addicted to it now. It was strange, how relaxed and jovial the night had been.

The smell of smoke and grease tickled her nose. She pushed the blanket off her and stood, searching for the source of the smell. She headed to the kitchen to see Regina sitting at the counter island with strawberry covered pancakes in front of her, a steaming mug of tea beside the plate. The counter was covered with pancakes, French toast, sausages, bacon, and three different types of eggs.

“Morning,” Emma said quietly and sat down on the other side of the counter.

“Good morning,” Regina responded. She nodded to the plates of food. “I wasn’t sure what you liked best for breakfast food since you order something different every day at Granny’s. So I cooked an assortment.”

Emma grabbed a plate and piled it high as her stomach growled. “Good call. You can’t go wrong with breakfast food.” She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Unless you add peanut butter to any of it. That’s just inhumane.”

Regina smiled. “Now I see where Henry gets his hate of peanut butter from.”

Emma pointed at her with a half-eaten end of a French toast stick. “Glad to know I did at least one thing right.”

A thick silence hung over them then—Emma eating, Regina looking at her tax files and sipping tea, the early sounds of birds and morning risers drifting in through the cracked window. It was oddly serene for Emma; it was the type of family dynamic she imagined growing up. Well, maybe with more talking and laughter, but serene nonetheless. Henry was lucky.

“I’ve been harder on you than I should have,” Regina finally spoke.

Surprised, Emma looked up from her plate but stayed silent. Regina was looking out the window to her right, refusing to look her way. “I realize a big part of why I was so harsh is because of my own insecurities. That Henry would leave me for you without a second thought.”

Regina turned her gaze to the table, absently stirring her cooling tea. “I’ve been putting my life’s work ahead of him. First it was my revenge, now it’s my job. I always thought Henry was my top priority… but maybe I was too involved in myself. Keeping you and your family away. In doing all of this, I wasn’t putting Henry first. I was favoring myself.”

Regina looked at her then, her brown eyes glistening with moisture. “Perhaps if I had taken the time to get you know you, things wouldn’t be the way they are.”

Emma offered her a crooked smile. “We wouldn’t be stuck here, for one.”

Regina chuckled softly. “I suppose not.”

Once they were through with breakfast, Emma helped clear the table and clean the dishes. She hummed softly as she did so, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning and the things Regina had finally admitted. But it didn’t feel like a victory; it felt like more than that—an understanding.

“I wasn’t fair to you either,” Emma admitted as she washed her dishpan hands. She scrubbed harder than she should have, watching her hands turn red under the warm water. “I judged you for who you were in the past, not the present. I let a 10-year-old make up my mind for me. And not just him—my parents as well. Now that I’ve decided to make my own mind up about things… well, maybe things can change for us.”

Regina nodded. “I’d like that.”

They spent the rest of the day watching TV and lounging about, talking about their favorite Henry memories and even mentioned their pasts. When it came down to it, the Evil Queen and Emma Swan were a lot alike. Though they had both suffered tremendously very early on in life, they had somehow come together to create something beautiful—their son.

As Regina finished up her paperwork, Emma decided to head to the window her dad had been at yesterday. He was gone. Puzzled, she ran downstairs to the foyer window. The kids that had been there were gone as well. Did they give up and go home?

To ease her curiosity, Emma pulled on the door knob. It gave way under her hand, gently swinging open. Emma squinted from the rays of sun beaming down, shielding her hand to see the yard was completely empty.

“Hey Regina!” She called back over her shoulder.

“Must you yell like a disrespectful teen, Miss Swan?” She heard Regina call back before she made her way down the hallway.

“How long has it been unlocked?” Regina asked in shock as she saw the open door.

Emma shrugged. “Beats me.” She reluctantly turned toward the staircase. “I guess that means I can leave now. No use forcing you to be around me for longer than you have to.”

“Oh.” Regina appeared dejected for a moment and her gaze dropped to the floor. A moment later, she straightened her clothes and nodded. “If that’s what you think is best, then I suppose you may.”

Emma headed for the staircase, a heavy feeling of disappointment weighing her down. This change in them had been nice—she didn’t want to go back to how things used to be.

“However…” Regina continued, stopping her midstride. “Henry _did_ say we were to stay in here the entire weekend together. It would be breaking our word if you were to leave this soon.”

An unseen smile lit up Emma’s face. Things had changed between them after all. She turned back toward Regina and, in a rush of emotion, kissed her, capturing her face between her hands. Regina kissed her back just as passionately, letting loose emotions that had been kept locked away for years.

Emma pulled back and chuckled, her eyes misting over with tears. “Well, then. I guess that answers that.” In her mind, she thanked Henry for this crazy plan of his. Whatever his endgame had been, it had certainly changed them for the better.

XXXX

Monday morning rolled around, inevitable as the sun rising each day. Henry got ready for school slowly, nervous. Had his plan worked? If not, there was no need to hurry and get ready for an hour of fighting and uncomfortable tension.

He headed down to the car where Regina was waiting for him. She seemed different somehow. Lighter. He ducked as she moved to smooth his hair down with her free hand. She chuckled and reached out again, trapping him the second time. He rolled his eyes but let it happen. She earned it he supposed.

At Granny’s, Henry followed Regina to their normal booth where Emma was waiting for them. He accepted the hug she gave him, noticing she seemed happier as well. _Interesting_.

It seemed his plan had worked, as his mothers chatted amicably about random things that seemed to make them happy. It was as if _he_ was the odd one out now with his silence—part of it shock, most of it being the full 48 hours of gaming he had done over the weekend with only a few hours of rest in between. They were actually joking and smiling at each other; not yelling, not nagging, not irritating.

It was a welcome change. Henry smiled and cut in. “So, I guess you guys had a good weekend?”

Regina wrapped an arm around him and hugged him close. “Thanks to you, I think we’ll have plenty more of those in the future.”

Henry hugged her back, a wide grin on his face. What could he say? He had a knack for making plans go right. And maybe someday, one of his plans would involve both of his mothers walking down the aisle. Only time would tell.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Thank you for reading! I’m sorry for the length—I really didn’t want to have to split this into multiple chapters. Anyway, I hope you liked this! If you did, show me some love with a review! See you in the next one. Much love.


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